Machine for sewing on buttons



(No Modl.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. J. SULLIVAN. MACHINE FOR SEWING 0N BUTTONS.

Patented Dec. 21, 1897.

1' arms PETERS o0. moroLnuQ. WASHIHGYDN. D. a.

J. J. SULLIVAN.

MACHINE Eon-SEWING 0N BUTTONS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

Patented Dec. 21, 1897.

30 feeder.

UNITED STATES PATENT Qrrrcn.

J OHN J. SULLIVAN, OF IPSWICH, MASSACHUSETTS.

MACHINE FOR SEWING ON BUTTONS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 595,743, dated December 21, 1897; Application flled May 14, 1896. Serial No. 591,542. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN J. SULLIVAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ipswichgln the county of Essex and State of Massao nusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Sewing Ha- I, chines, of which the following is a specification, reference being'had .therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to that class of button-sewing machines for attaching buttons to shoes or other'articles, and has for its object to provide a machine of the class referred to with means by which when a button has been I 5 secured by a proper number of stitches or when the last of a series of buttons has been sewed on the needle-thread will be automat ioally severed, so that there will be no thread extending from one button to another on the upper or fair side of the work.

ating the thread-cutter and the tension-release. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Figs. 4,- 5, 6, and 7 are detail views to illustrate the thread-cutting device. Fig. 8 is a detail view of the button- Fig. 9 is a detail plan and end view of the slide which carries the movable blade or cutter.

A denotes the standard of the machineframe, from whichstandard extends forward horizontally the integral overhanging arm A and the work-supporting arm or cylinder A these parts constituting the frame of the machine.

The stitch-forming mechanism of the ma- 4o chine herein shown is that of the well-known swinging frame F, pivoted at f and connected by a rod or link f with the free end of a horizontal lever fflpivoted at f and provided between its ends with a pin or roller-stud entering a cam-groove e in a cam-cylinder E,

mounted to rotate freely on the driving-shaft B and intermittingly rotated by a cam-actuated lever-dog e, engaging teeth on said camtending up within the hopper Gr and carrying a series of brushes 9, which serve to work the buttons outward from said hopper into said chute, so that they can be carried from the lower end of the latter to the needle by the horizontally-swinging button-feeder or arm an, attached to the lower end of a verti-' cal rock-shaft M. The shaft M- has at its upper end an arm m, connected by a rod m to the lower or free end of a lever m pivoted at m and having between its ends a pin or roller-stud m entering the cam-groove e of the cam-cylinder E.

The driving-shaft B is provided at its rear endbwith the loose pulley b and the fast pulley N is a starting and stopping lever having a belt-shifter n for transferring the driving-belt from the fast pulley to the loose pulley, and vice versa, and having also an arm n to be engaged by a hook on the rear end of a re-- taining-latch n ,'the outer end of said lever N being pressed outward or toward said pulleys by the spring a Rigid with the lever N is an arm N to be connected by a rod 41 with a treadle to enable the operator to transfer a belt from the loose pulley to the fast pulley to set the machine in operation.

The inner or forward end of the latch 71 extends within the range of a pin a on the-cam- The driving-shaft B is provided cylinder E, so that when said cylinder has completed a revolution and a predetermined number of button-attaching stitches have been made said pin will trip said latch and release its rear end from engagement with the arm n of the lever N to permit the spring a to move the lever N into such position as will shift the belt from the fast pulley b to the loose pulley b to stop the machine.

be connected with a knee-lever or a treadle.

The features of my improved machine are essentially the same as in the machine embraced by my application filed January 1%, 1896, Serial No. 575,445; butinstead of making the button-attaching stitches as a part of a continuous seam, as is done by the machine embraced by the said application, and also by the machine embraced by my prior application, Serial No. 541,860, filed March 15, 1895, I have in my improved machine omitted the work-feeding mechanism employed in the machines shown by said applications and have provided an automatic thread-cutting mechanism which will now be described and by means of which, just before the machine is automatically stopped, the needle-thread is severed beneath the work, so that there will be no thread extending from one button to another on the upper'or fair side of the work.

D is a rocking thread-cutter shaft having at its rear end an arm (1 to which is jointed the lower end of a rod cl, connected at its up per end to an arm d of a short shaft (1 having a second arm (1 provided with a pin or roller stud entering a cam-groove c in the rear face of the cylinder E. The shaft D is provided at its forward end with a rigidly-at tached arm or disk (1, carrying a block (1 having a lug d entering a notch in a slide 0, horizontally movable in a suitable guideway formed at the top of the shuttle-race ring 0 and which slide carries a blade or knife 0, cooperating with a stationary knife or cutter c fixed to said shuttle-race ring. Thus when in the opera tion of the machine a desired number of button-attaching stitches have been made the shaft D will be rocked slightly from the camgroove 6 to move the blade 0 toward and slightly past the cutting edge of the stationary cutter c to sever the needle-thread beneath the work.

To prevent the end of the severed needlethread from being pulled upward through the eye of the needle by the take-up, I provide a thread-nipper which engages with the end of the thread between the cutting device and the needle, said thread-nipper in the form of my invention herein shown consisting of the block 0 pressed against by the spring 0 to cause said block to move forward with the knife 0'.

cutter or knife 0 is retracted by the return The forward end of the block 0 nor- 1 mally projects beyond the cutting edge of the knife 0, so that said end of said block will i come in contact with the lower part of the cutter 0 (to nip the part of the loop of needle- 1 thread extending downward between these} parts at the time the cutting device is to be 1 operated) before the knife 0 passes by the,

or backward rocking movement of the disk (1 moving with the shaft D, the block 0 engages the slightlip 011 the rear end of the block a and thus causes said last-named block to be moved away from the cutter c to release the thread. Although it might appear from the drawings that the thread was severed between the nipping device and the needle, (owing to the location of the said nipping device below the cutters,) such, however, is not the case, as one limb only of tho downwardly-extending needle-loop is severed, the thread running from the nipping device downward and thence again upward at one side of the cutters to the needle, so that the nipping device really holds the needle-thread between the cutting device and the needle, as stated.

To prevent the take-up from pulling the thread out of the thread-nipping device owing to too strong a frictional hold on the thread by the tension device J, the machine is preferably provided with a tension-releasing de vice consisting of a finger 70 at the forward end of a rock-shaft K, said shaft having at its rear end an arm 7,2, held by a spring k against the arm (Z of the shaft (P, from which the cutteroperating shaft D is actuated, so that at the moment when the thread is to be severed the said shaft K will be rocked slightly to cause the finger 70 to enter between the disks of the tension device .I,and thus by forcing said disks apart to release their grasp on the thread. In order, however, that the thread when thus released will still be under proper control, there is an auxiliary or light tension device J, which will still hold the thread lightly when it is re leased from the grasp of the disks of the main tension device J. This automatic tension-releasing and thread-controllii'ig device is, however, not herein claimed, as it is not of my invention.

In the operation of my improved machine herein shown the parts are so timed that when a desired number of button-attaching stitches have been made and justbefore the machine is to be automatically stopped, or, in other words, just as the last one of a series of button-attaching stitches is being completed, the thread-cuttin g device is operated to sever the thread, and the machine will then be stopped by the automatic stop motion mechanism hereinbefore described, with the end of the severed needle -thread held by the threadnipping device. Nhen the machine is again started by the operator, the thread-nipping device will still hold the thread until a first fastening stitch has been made, and the button-feeder m is then operated to carry a button from the lower end of the button-chute H and present the same to the needle, and also, in cooperation with the presser-foot, hold the button in sewing position until one or more button-attaching stitches have been made, and the button-sewing and threadsevering operations are then repeated for the next button. As no automatic work-feeding device is employed in the machine herein widely without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure, by Letters Patent- 1. In a button-sewingmachine, the combination with a stitch-formin g mechanism comprising a needle and a loop -taking, device cooperating therewith in the formation of stitches, of an automatic button -'feeding mechanism for successively presenting but tons to said stitch-forming mechanism and for holding the same in place while being sewed to the work, and an automatic threadcutting device for severing the needle-thread after each button has been attached.

2. In a button-sewing machine, the combination with stitch-formingand button feed-, ing and holding mechanisms, of an automatic stop-motion device, and an automatic threadcutting device for severing the needle-thread after each button has been-attached and j ust before the machine is stopped bythe said stopmotion device. I

3. In a button-sewing machine, the combination with a stitch-forming mechanism comprising a needle and a loop-taking-device coe erating therewith in the formation of stitches, of abutton-feeding mechanism serving to successively present buttons to said stitch-forming" mechanism and to hold them in plaee'whil'e being attached to the work, an automatic thread-cutting device, for severin g the needle-thread after each button has been attached, and an automatic thread-nipping device for holding the end of the needlethre'ad when severed.

4. In a button-sewing machine, the-combination with a stitch-forming mechanism comprising a needle and a loop taking device cooperating therewith in the formation -of stitches, of abuttonholdingdevice which retainsthe buttons in place while being attached to the work, an automatic thread-cutting device for severing the needle-thread after each button has been attached, and an automatic thread-nipping device for holding the ends of the needle-thread when severed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN J. SULLIVAN. Witnesses HENRY OALvER', J OSEPH F. JAQUITH. 

